Loving mother: Delores Gillespie's children say her mother was burned to death because of her kindness

The weeping, cash-strapped relatives of a woman torched in the elevator of her apartment building said Thursday she was kind-hearted and that by helping a homeless man in an act of charity, paid the ultimate price.

Deloris Gillespie's children told reporters that the 73-year-old had hired Jerome Isaac to do some chores in her Brooklyn apartment.

And on December 17, 'he ended up killing her,' said Ms Gillespie's son, Everett Hayes, holding back tears.

'For someone to set someone on fire - that's ridiculous!' he said. 'I mean, what is this country coming to?'

Mr Hayes joined Gillespie's daughter, cousin and brother at a news conference in the offices of New York City Councilwoman Letitia James of Brooklyn, who has been assisting them in the days after Ms Gillespie's death.

Grieving family: Everett Gillespie (right) embraces his sister Sheila Gillespie Hillsman during a news conference to discuss the murder of their mother

They sat side by side, with a smiling picture of Ms Gillespie taped on the wall behind them.

A memorial service is scheduled for Friday at the First A.M.E. Zion Church in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood.

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The family says it doesn't have enough money to pay for the service or other costs related to the death.

According to the New York Post, the family doesn’t have the official death certificate because the medical examiner can't officially identify Ms Gillespie, as she was so badly burned.

Charred: The fifth floor of Ms Gillespie's apartment building was left badly burned, as was Jerome Issac, who is accused of murdering her

They may have to wait months for the DNA results, which mean funeral arrangements must be put on hold.

The handyman, Jerome Isaac, is charged with first-degree murder and arson in Ms Gillespie's death.

'Deloris was always aware that she was her brother's keeper.'

-Tracey Gillespie

Police say he cornered her in the elevator as it opened on the fifth floor of her apartment building in the Prospect Heights neighbourhood, then sprayed her with gasoline and set her ablaze as she screamed.

Surveillance cameras captured Isaac wearing an exterminator's mask and gloves as he ignited her with a barbecue lighter.

He surrendered to police a day later, reeking of gasoline.

Isaac, 47, told police Ms Gillespie owed him money – around $2,000. She had told neighbours the handyman was stealing from her.

Caught on camera: A still from surveillance video allegedly shows Isaac spraying Ms Gillespie before lighting a Molotov cocktail

A defence attorney said last week he had been in touch with his client and would evaluate all possible defences.

Daughter Sheila Gillespie Hillsman said she helped the Manhattan medical examiner's office identify her mother's remains so a positive identification could be made and a death certificate issued.

Ms Hillsman travelled from her home in Gary, Indiana, after getting the news and said the New York community responded with open arms to the family's grief.

'It's just been really hard, but I've really received a lot of love from New York, and I really appreciate it,' she told the Associated Press. 'I got a lot of hugs on the street.'

Ms James said a Manhattan hedge fund manager who did not know Ms Gillespie had come forward offering to donate $10,000 to pay for the memorial service and other expenses.

Charred: The elevator where Ms Gillespie died in a ball of flames

But there was no such deposit in the fund that the politician set up to help the family; only $800 is now available, donated by friends and neighbours.

Ms James said she spoke again with the money manager Thursday, was assured he would cover the costs and considered the issue resolved.

Mr Hayes, of Stuart, Florida, said he was out of money. 'We're at the bottom now,' he said.

His mother, at the time of her death, was still working as a clerk at a post office in Brooklyn's East New York neighbourhood.

A native of Bastrop, Louisiana, she had moved to New York as a young woman, settling in Brooklyn, where she attended a Baptist church while reaching out to anyone who was struggling in a neighbourhood that has rapidly been gentrifying, relatives said.

'Deloris was always aware that she was her brother's keeper,' said her cousin, Tracey Gillespie, also from Gary, Indiana.

Grief: Ms Gillespie's adult children will hold a memorial service for their mother Friday in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn

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Killed by kindness: Grieving family of woman, 73, who was torched to death in elevator attack says her generosity led to her demise